Back in the Attitude Era, when WWE was known as WWF, Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit was a huge fan. And what was not to love about the Attitude Era? You had amazing characters and edgy storylines. But after WCW was bought out by the McMahons, the content of WWE shifted to PG. Which made sense in a business standpoint because a family-friendly product meant more advertisers and a better stock portfolio. But the shift also caused a rift with the wrestling fans from that era.

For a long stretch of time following the PG shift, WWE’s storylines have been less than appealing. This statement is not to overlook some of the head scratchers from the Attitude days, but todays’ storylines have become disgustingly melodramatic.

The most recent offenders of partaking in a storyline reeking of melodrama have been Dolph Ziggler and Rusev. The Bulgarian Brute went from undefeated monster who crushed his opponents without mercy, to a babbling idiot jealous of his former mouthpiece Lana dating the Show Off. As for Dolph Ziggler, he recently signed a new 3-year contract and this is what he’s doing?

The actual matches haven’t been bad. Their clash at Night of Champions was really good, but there isn’t really much substance to go on.

Then there’s Summer Rae and Lana. Summer Rae wrestled in FCW and NXT, but hasn’t really made a name for herself as a singles competitor on the main roster. She’s been type-casted as the evil hot blonde girl. While Lana, also a very beautiful blonde girl, played the part of the evil mouthpiece to Rusev so well that she actually went over with the fans as a babyface. Which is all well and good, because she does have that Russian girl next door vibe, but to try and incorporate her as a wrestler down the line doesn’t make sense. That’s like trying to turn “The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart into a wrestler.

However, plans for wrestling have now been put on hold with Lana out on the sidelines with an injured wrist. So with the main prize out of the loop, could this mean a possible end to the feud?

You would think, but we saw on both RAW and Smackdown that Ziggler was trying to get into Summer’s head. Is this just to prove how much game Dolph has in picking up women? Will Rusev revert to a hopeless romantic trying to find his one true Russian? Will Dolph put on a suit, befriend Rusev, tell him to suit up, meet him at the bar, and play a game of “Have you met, Rusev?”

It’s understandable that WWE wants to market themselves as a family friendly sports entertainment product, but it should not be at the expense of good storytelling. Just take Ring of Honor as an example: Adam Page called out Jay Briscoe in the center of the ring looking for a fight. Next episode, Page called him out again. By the third episode, Jay Briscoe stated he didn’t know who Adam Page was. When the two finally got in the ring for a match, Page slapped the taste out of Briscoe’s mouth… twice! Then all you wanted to see was Jay kick the living dog crap out of Page, but The Decade intervened and ganged up on Jay.

That’s an example of sound storytelling without the melodrama. But it’s not just Ring of Honor, you have your Lucha Underground and Chikara Pro wrestling programs that go towards the supernatural and comic book sides of storytelling.

Which you would think, why doesn’t WWE do that? Well they do. They just aren’t consistent with it.

The Undertaker and Kane are demonic sons of Satan. That’s supernatural. Cody Rhodes believes he’s a super villain named Stardust, who has aligned himself with The Ascension to form the group of The Cosmic Wasteland. That’s the comic book side of storytelling, but it doesn’t really work in WWE because they don’t want to give it credibility. Instead of saying, this is Stardust and he’s a cosmic traveler from the nether dimension (or something to that effect), the broadcasters simply state that it’s Cody Rhodes who believes he’s a super villain.

I’m pretty sure as long as WWE doesn’t have another live sex celebration or drop an F-Bomb, better storylines is possible with credibility and not forcing the wrestlers to be actors. Let them speak what is true to them.

So tell me your thoughts? Are you okay with the melodrama? Do you want edgier storylines that doesn’t necessarily have to break the PG guidelines?

Tell me your thoughts in the comments section below this post. Or if you just want to hit me up, you can do so on the twitter @WrestlingTimesX or follow my interests and journey to a healthier fit lifestyle on my instagram @losfriday!

Also, make sure to like this post and share it. The more people who like it and share it, the more likely I’ll continue to rant about wrestling!

Does the length of time truly mark a great champion? Or the number of times winning the same championship? Or winning multiple titles? Because that seems to be the great debate in the wrestling circles.

Does Nikki Bella surpassing the previous record held by AJ Lee as WWE Divas champion make her the greatest? Would tying Ric Flair’s record of 16 World championships make John Cena the greatest? Does becoming the first-ever to hold the WWE World Heavyweight and WWE United States championships make Seth Rollins the greatest? Or how about Jay Lethal being the first-ever to hold the ROH World and ROH World Television championships?

The inter-web reports that John Cena influenced the decision to keep the championship on Nikki. Her goal was to hold the championship for 300+ days. Other reports indicated that Charlotte, much like Paige, was supposed to win the title on her official debut on Monday Night RAW. Is it true? And does it really matter?

Sure, it sucks that Nikki out-reigned AJ Lee as the WWE Divas champion. But let’s face it. AJ retired. WWE can do whatever they very well please because it’s their championship and intellectual property. So in this case, did the length of time mark Nikki as the greatest?

Nikki is definitely the best that she has ever been, but as far as being the all-around best it would have to be AJ Lee. She was a better talker on the mic, she was entertaining, and she was the better wrestler.

Ric Flair on multiple occasions has gone on record to say that he doesn’t care if John Cena ties or even surpasses the much talked about 16x World championship record. Factually, Flair won more than 16 World titles, but they aren’t recognized by WWE. Just like Sting was a multi-time TNA World champion, but of course it will never be mentioned since WWE does not consider TNA as part of its record books. If John Cena became a 16x World champion, or even a 17x World champion, would it really matter?

John Stewart, former host of The Daily Show, seemed to think so. Which was by far the most irritating moment of WWE SummerSlam. Especially because he not only interfered in a great championship match, he botched the damn spot!

Which brings us to first-evers: It was pretty cool seeing Seth Rollins hold both the WWE World Heavyweight and WWE United States championships for the past month, but it didn’t last. Winning the championships is one thing. Following through with the daunting task of actually defending the titles is a whole different beast incarnate. Seth Rollins lost the US Title back to Cena at WWE Night of Champions, and failed in his rematch the following night on RAW. But he did retain the WWE World Heavyweight title, so there’s that.

At Best in the World 2015, I was fortunate enough to be in attendance when Jay Lethal made history and defeated Jay Briscoe for the ROH World championship. And to think TNA didn’t know what to do with Lethal? But on top of that, Lethal has been the longest reigning ROH World Television champion with an astonishing 536 days and counting, and an unprecedented 38 championship defenses. He’s also defended his World title on 3 separate occasions. Does winning championships and having a combination of long reigns and quality title defenses the mark of a great champion?

Tell me your thoughts in the comments section below this post. Or if you just want to hit me up, you can do so on the twitter @WrestlingTimesX or follow my interests and journey to a healthier fit lifestyle on my instagram @losfriday!

Also, make sure to like this post and share it. The more people who like it and share it, the more likely I’ll continue to rant about wrestling!

After a heartwarming tribute to the late WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Seth Rollins entered the ring with a smug smile proclaiming that his only flaw is that he’s too sympathetic because he didn’t finish the job after he broke John Cena’s nose. While sporting a sardonic t-shirt stating “U Can’t C Knee”, Rollins not only issued an Open Challenge to the locker room–so long as the opponent was below 6-feet and under 200-lbs–but he also issued a challenge to John Cena for the now 4-hour spectacular SummerSlam. A winner takes all match, where both the WWE World Heavyweight and WWE United States championships will be on the line. And for the first time in history, the winner will hold both championships at the same time.

Sound familiar? Well it should because back on June 19 at Studio 5 in New York, NY, Ring of Honor’s Best in the World main event pit the ROH World champion Jay Briscoe against the ROH World TV champion Jay Lethal in a Battle of the Belts. Lethal became the undisputed ROH champion, winning his first World championship in the process. And now we have ROH Alumni Seth Rollins issuing the same concept for SummerSlam? Sounds like WWE is trying to stick it to ROH.

It’s well-known that Ring of Honor has been a breeding ground for excellence. Just by looking at the current WWE roster, along with Rollins, most of the main players have come from ROH: Daniel Bryan, Cesaro, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Samoa Joe. So why would WWE want to stick it to ROH when they should be grateful? Simply put, Vince loves competition.

On August 22, NXT Takeover will broadcast live on the WWE Network out of the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, NY. But on that same night, Ring of Honor will be hosting “Field of Honor” a live event at MCU Park, also in Brooklyn. Rumor is… Ring of Honor officials already knew that NXT would be performing on the same night as their show, but didn’t know it would be a Takeover Special. The Takeover special will feature the rematch from WWE Beast in the East – Finn Bálor defending the NXT championship against Kevin Owens. ROH will not be featuring a championship bout at Field of Honor, instead it will showcase a tag team main event: ROH World & World TV Champion Jay Lethal & “King of Strong Style” Shinsuke Nakamura vs reDRagon.

This battle of shows in Brooklyn reminds me of a night back in 2011 when ROH and WWE butted heads in Manhattan just a block away from one another. ROH had the earlier show billed as “Manhattan Mayhem IV” and WWE had their house show in the famous Madison Square Garden a few hours later. Most fans that night had tickets to both shows, including myself. But this night also marked my biggest regret. Just minutes before WWE Live was to start, ROH’s main event ran purposely into WWE’s start time. This was a testament to whether or not the fans would stay till the end of the show. It was a World championship match between Roderick Strong and Eddie Edwards. And while I was on the line at MSG waiting to get my tickets scanned, I got a call from my friend who decided to stay, to tell me that Eddie Edwards won the ROH World title.

That night, ROH outdid WWE in every possible way, including a surprising championship victory. But that was years ago, and I witnessed Jay Lethal become the Undisputed ROH World champion at Best in the World back in June. Now my sights are set on my first NXT show. And it is going to be memorable.

Question remains… can Seth Rollins and John Cena’s dual-championship bout contend with Jay Briscoe and Jay Lethal’s Battle of the Belts? Only SummerSlam will tell.

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About the blogger: I love pro wrestling and all of its layers of athleticism and entertainment. I also love to read and write, which is why, hopefully, WrestlingTimesX will come across as different, in a better way, than anything else that you read on the web. My mantra on wrestling, in any state, is to love it then, now, and forever.

The American Wolves (Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards) are best known for their run in Ring of Honor.

TNA President Dixie Carter’s initiative to bring in new talent to IMPACT Wrestling is off to a great start as world-renowned tag team specialists Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards are now a part of the company. While Dixie wanted The American Wolves to take part in a try-out match, a possible snide-remark towards WWE, Richards and Edwards were signed to TNA contracts by a mystery investor. Whoever that investor is, kudos to him or her. (video below)

Best known for their time in Ring of Honor Wrestling, The American Wolves have each won the ROH World Heavyweight championship; are two-time ROH Tag Team champions; and Eddie Edwards is recognized as the inaugural ROH World Television champion. It was shortly after their brief second reign as the tag team champs that The Wolves decided not to resign with the company and pursue their WWE developmental deal down at the Performance Center in Florida.

“With a heavy heart I can announce that myself and ROH have parted ways for good and I will not be at Final Battle. Please continue to support them and the incredible talent they have. Thanks for the memories. It was an amazing ride.” – Davey Richards

Renamed The American Pittbulls: Derek Billington (Richards) and John Cahill (Edwards), debuted on WWE NXT TV in an unsuccessful attempt to throw off the NXT Tag Team champions The Ascension. They left almost immediately after because word has it, the 13-time WWE champion Triple H had lost interest in The American Wolves. How in the world would Hunter lose interest in Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards? Had he not seen their incredible matches in ROH and 2CW? Had the C.O.O. lost his mind? Well, after Richards fell on his head as a result of a miscue spot between him and Rick Victor, Hunter had every right to question them. Imagine, Hunter is in charge of a widely publicly traded corporation, he cannot have reckless talent in the WWE ring.

The Pittbulls–I mean The Wolves’ departure from WWE might be a blessing because let’s face it, there was no way the names Derek Billington and John Cahill were going to draw. Let’s go, Billington… It doesn’t even sound right.

What does it mean for the TNA faithful having The Wolves on IMPACT Wrestling? Well, the social media sites are already beaming at the seams for the eventual confrontation between The Wolves and Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian). All former ROH competitors, these gentlemen have known each other and have squared off in the ring before. If booked properly and scheduled for TNA’s return to pay-per-view at Lockdown in Miami, FL, then it would undoubtedly become an epic encounter.

However, not everyone is thrilled to have The Wolves in TNA:

The Bro Mans, Robbie E and Jesse Godderz, are clearly concerned of The Wolves arrival seeing as they are the current TNA World Tag Team champions. But Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards don’t always have to wrestle as a team. As the way of Beer Money, Inc., The Wolves hunt as a pack, but they are more than capable of hunting on their own. Singles matches against Samoa Joe, Austin Aries, Kurt Angle would be at the top of the list.

Answer the Question: What are your thoughts on The Wolves joining TNA Wrestling? Should they have stuck it out in developmental for WWE?

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Daniel Bryan was voted “Superstar of the Year” by the WWE Universe. What can we expect from the former WWE champion in 2014?

2013 was a memorable year in the world of professional wrestling; we’ve seen the unveiling of a new WWE championship, as well as the unification of WWE’s two World titles. We’ve seen the rising of several promising talents within the developmental camps of WWE, as well as changes we’ve longed hoped for within WWE and TNA. What do we as wrestling fans have to look forward to as we close out this year and move into the new year?

Well, brother… Hulkamania is no longer running wild in the IMPACT Zone, but may make a long-awaited return to the WWE. No, not as an active wrestler because let’s face it, Hulk Hogan is long past his glory days. It’s strange, we’ve seen the Hulkster in TNA Wrestling for about 3-4 years and no one batted an eye, but if he were to return to the WWE, fans would lose their minds. And why wouldn’t they? Despite the leading role as a General Manager in TNA, Hogan’s real home will always be the WWE. It was in the WWE that Hulkamania truly ran wild with a four-year WWE championship reign, and the pinnacle of the birth of WrestleMania.

So how’s TNA Wrestling fairing without the Hulkster in charge? Well, I guess the IMPACT Zone has Dixie Carter because she is a Carter and the world needs her, apparently. At first, if you followed me on twitter @WrestlingTimesX, I didn’t have anything nice to say about Dixie Carter when she first started her heel turn, but she has come a long way. Dixie Carter, with her outrageous demands, delusions of grandeur, insane concepts, and constant back-talking towards “The Phenomenal One”, has turned into quite the character.

Then she made the decision of placing the championship on Magnus, which doesn’t sit well with me because he hasn’t proven himself to take on that position. Hopefully in time, Magnus might use this opportunity to grow a personality and prove to be entertaining to say the least. 2013 in TNA was really a long-shot experiment to try to launch Magnus to the top, with him being involved with the Main Event Mafia, to being thrust into a main event match at Bound for Glory against “The Icon” Sting. I’m all for TNA trying to develop new talents, but don’t force them into a position that they are clearly not ready for.

AJ Styles makes his triumphant return to Ring of Honor Wrestling on January 4th.

Where oh where is the People’s champion? Not talking about Hollywood Rocky, I’m referring to AJ Styles who high-tailed it out of TNA Wrestling to defend the World championship around the world. Well, after losing the unification match to Magnus, and negotiations on a new contract went south, Styles made his triumphant return to the independent circuit as a free agent. Ring of Honor Wrestling announced that on January 4th, Styles will make his return to ROH after eight years against “Mr. ROH” Roderick Strong.

“I’m excited to return to ROH and the Nashville Fairgrounds. Lots of history made that I was made that I was part of in both. Expect more on January 4. Hope Nashville fans fill that asylum,” said AJ.

Enough about TNA, what about the rising stars of tomorrow in NXT Wrestling? WWE has Kassius Ohno… no, wait, Chris Hero was released from his contract and returned back to the independent circuit. There was talk about Hero not following orders about his physique, not too sure if any of that was true, but WWE didn’t truly understand Hero like the way his followers did. The man had all the god-given ability to become a major player in the WWE, but he was left to make gold out of crap with a crap name like Kassius Ohno. Was he supposed to be Russian or Japanese? What kind of name was that? At least Hero gets to return to his fans with the gimmick that provided a living for himself unlike Sin Cara.

Not a hundred percent sure what has become of the original Místico, Luis Ignascio Urive Alvirde, since Hunico is currently donning the Sin Cara mask, but if Ignascio does get released from the WWE, he will be left with nothing. Think about it, WWE owns the likeness of the Sin Cara gimmick which is the Místico gimmick only in blue. What chance does Ignascio have of making a living outside of the WWE? Then again, Mexico would probably take him back in a heart beat with promotional signs reading “Former WWE Superstar…” just to draw in crowds.

Sami Zayn, formerly recognized as El Generico, is unmasked and taking NXT Wrestling by storm. He is already being hailed as the future of the WWE.

Do you know who doesn’t share Ignascio’s problem? Sami Zayn, formerly known as the “Generic Luchador” El Generico, has made quite an IMPACT–no, not over in Dixieland–in NXT Wrestling. The Florida fans at Full Sail University are well aware of who Sami Zayn truly is with chants of “Ole… Ole, Ole, Ole!” And Sami has delivered every time he has stepped foot in the wrestling ring; even Michael Cole said that his match with Antonio Cesaro was one of the best matches he’d seen in a long time–and this was after WrestleMania. I won’t lie, it was strange at first seeing El Generico unmasked, since I really loved his character in Ring of Honor, but he’s actually making a developmental opportunity into a “sensational” one.

As wrestling moves forward into 2014, the WWE will have its work cut out for them as they introduce a new generation to what wrestling was like when it only had one world champion. Opportunities for superstars to earn championship matches will be far less, but it’s been long overdue because wrestling really needs a champion who will represent the company as Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart did in the early years.

There’s talk of the return of Jeff Jarrett to TNA Wrestling. Not too sure how I would feel about that. Many people say it would be great to have Double-J back in control because he gave us an alternative to the WWE. But he also gave us matches that saw him as the World champion, which when a booker books himself to be on top, the promotion fails to progress.

::To the Reader:: Thank you for reading my blog for the past year, now raise your glass–whether it’s coffee, soda, wine, or a Steveweiser–and let’s toast to the New Years and to another year of professional wrestling. And don’t forget to follow the mantra of WrestlingTimesX – Love Wrestling… Now. Then. Forever.

Answer the Question: What are you looking forward to in professional wrestling come the New Year?

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For the first time in the company’s history, Ring of Honor is without an ROH World Champion. The final title holder was Jay Briscoe, who was stripped of the World championship on July 3rd due to contractual issues. ROH Commissioner Nigel McGuinness made the announcement on Ring of Honor’s YouTube channel, as well as the announcement of a 16-man tournament to crown a new Ring of Honor World champion.

Originally it was believed that Michael Elgin, the no. 1 contender, would be given the title. But instead, Elgin insisted that the ROH World title needed to be earned and agreed to partake in the tournament. Since Ring of Honor is now without a World champion, McGuinness stated that more emphasis would be placed on the World Tag Team championships.

Around this time last year, interestingly enough, the ROH World Tag Team championships were vacated due to a contract dispute with Kenny King, who appeared on a live broadcast of TNA’s IMPACT Wrestling. Ring of Honor’s constant issues with contracts with its talents lead to its greatest threat when Steve Corino and Jimmy Jacobs won the vacant titles–the team known as S.C.U.M. (Suffering, Chaos, Ugliness, and Mayhem).

Lead by “Mr. Wrestling” Kevin Steen, the man whose had the most issues with contracts, and, at the time, the reigning ROH World champion, S.C.U.M. terrorized the ROH Company with the agenda to destroy it as a whole. S.C.U.M. grew in size, as do most wrestling stables with a common agenda, adding Rhino to the fold.

However, Kevin Steen was ousted from S.C.U.M. after losing the World title to Jay and was replaced by new S.C.U.M. members Cliff Compton, Jimmy Rave, Rhett Titus, and centerpiece Matt Hardy. Cornio became the new leader and dangerously forced Ring of Honor to its extinction.

That was until Corino’s hubris got the better of him, and issued a challenge to Ring of Honor: S.C.U.M. vs Team ROH in a Steel Cage Warfare match. If ROH loses, they must surrender all control over to Steve Corino; but if S.C.U.M. loses, they must disband forever.

Kevin Steen, who has never been a pro-ROH guy especially due to the shady business of former Commissioner Jim Cornette, demanded from McGuinness to be placed on Team ROH. After weeks of matches against members of S.C.U.M., Kevin Steen earned his spot on Team ROH, and eventually earned the winning pinfall that disbanded S.C.U.M. forever.

Kevin Kelly, the lead commentator, shouted throughout the broadcast that Honor Lived, but it seems like Ring of Honor still has a long road of restoration ahead of them. In two weeks, the tournament will commence to crown a new ROH World champion; but in the meantime we still have the ROH World Tag Team championships.

The Ring of Honor episode following Steel Cage Warfare, the defending ROH World Tag Team champions reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly) lost the titles to the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Forever Hooligans (Rocky Romero and Alex Koslov).

Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards, two-former ROH World champions, chose not to enlist in the ROH World championship tournament because they wanted to focus and reclaim the ROH World Tag Team championships. So down the line, if not soon, expect The American Wolves vs Forever Hooligans for the titles.

Answer the Questions: Does Honor Live in Ring of Honor? Thoughts of Jay Briscoe being stripped of the ROH World championship?

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The All-Night Express (ANX), weeks following their Tag Team championship victory at ROH’s Best in the World, have been stripped from the titles. Ring of Honor’s decision was made after Kenny King’s departure from the company, as he was clearly seen wrestling live for TNA’s Impact Wrestling TV show. And despite King stating that he would come back to ROH to wrestle matches to drop the belts, ROH has declined to do further business with him.

Kenny King, who’s contract with ROH expired on June 24, 2012, wrestled for TNA on July 5 in spite of a verbal agreement made with ROH, in which King was permitted to weigh his options with other promotions on the condition that he didn’t wrestle for them. King had a meeting in Orlando on July 3, which was within the scope of his agreement, but when he contacted an ROH official on the morning of the live Impact TV taping, he was not given permission as it violated the agreement. King’s response was that the agreement seemed fair at the time, but others have told him otherwise, so he didn’t intend to honor the agreement.

Kenny King took a risk in jumping ship to TNA while burning bridges with ROH. Especially after Ring of Honor decided to place the belts on ANX at Best in the World. But that’s the life of a professional wrestler, because unlike the “independent contractor” status in the WWE, Kenny King, and all independent wrestlers, are independent on their career paths.

After defeating Lars Only to qualify for TNA X Division championship tournament at Destination X, Kenny King was seen talking backstage to Austin Aries, telling him that he wishes to follow in his footsteps. Aries, who was released from Ring of Honor in October 2010 due to cutbacks, worked his way through Dragon Gate USA and Evolve before returning to TNA in June 2011. In one year’s time Aries went from a guy fighting for a contract to the top guy on a national stage, so for Kenny King to want the same for himself isn’t selfish. Kenny saw an opportunity and he took it.

However, Kenny King wasn’t the only one stripped of the tag team titles, Rhett Titus was stripped as well. Titus, who debuted in Ring of Honor in 2006, started teaming with King in 2009. And his partnership with King was fulfilled at Best in the World, but after 16 days, Rhett is without his championship.

So if anyone should be upset at Kenny’s departure, it’s Rhett Titus. But does Kenny King feel bad about that? Would Shawn Michaels have become the Legend that he is if he didn’t sever ties with his tag team partner? That’s the business of professional wrestling, if Kenny’s decision to wrestle for TNA makes him millions of dollars, then good for him.

Kenny King, much like Austin Aries, deserves to showcase his skills on a bigger stage.

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